“Exactly, Xiao Gu, are you selling the pork you hunted? If you are, I’ll come by your place and buy some too, so the kids at home can have a treat.”
“Yes, yes, there’s so much—you probably can’t even finish it yourselves. We’re all from the village, so sell some to us!”
“Yeah, Little Gu, anyway, if you can’t eat it all, selling it in town is one thing, but since the villagers need it, just sell it to us. You just charge the market price—we promise, we won’t cheat you.”
…
The crowd gathered around the ox cart, each person talking in turn, chattering endlessly.
Although they claimed it would be at the market price for pork, this was wild boar—far more flavorful than regular pork. Even at market price, the villagers were getting a bargain.
But whether Brother Gu was willing to sell was another question entirely.
Gu Yan sat atop the ox cart, facing everyone’s enthusiasm, and for a moment didn’t know how to respond.
This was a question he had never considered before.
By his old habits, he would have definitely taken the meat to town to sell. But the boar was enormous and heavy; transporting it to town would require hiring an ox cart anyway, which was a hassle. Yet he had never sold his hunts in portions before; it felt similarly troublesome.
As he hesitated, unsure how to answer the villagers, a clear and pleasant voice suddenly reached his ears:
“Of course you can, everyone. Once we finish slaughtering it, we can start selling. You can also let your family or neighbors know.”
“But it’s too late today, so we’ll need to do the slaughtering tonight. Tomorrow morning, we’ll start selling—you just bring a bowl to weigh the meat. I guarantee it’s full and genuine, so you won’t be cheated.”
Lu Zhaozhao’s voice was clear and loud; everyone heard it at once and immediately brightened, speaking excitedly:
“That’s great! You must be Little Gu’s newlywed girl, right? You’re so pretty. Don’t worry, I’ll go home and tell the neighbors so they can come buy some too. This is a rare opportunity. I’ll leave now, but you must save me two jin tomorrow!”
“Yes, yes, save me two jin too. I’ll go tell others about it as well.”
“I want one jin too. Tomorrow, right? Alright, I’ll tell my wife.”
…
Hearing this, everyone felt reassured and stopped following the ox cart, returning to their own homes.
As the crowd slowly dispersed, Lu Zhaozhao explained to Gu Yan:
“Gu Yan, I hope you don’t mind me taking the initiative. Think about it: if we don’t sell to the villagers, we’ll have to haul the boar to town, which takes time. And in town, we’d have to find buyers on the spot. Only the big restaurants could buy this much meat at once, and they’d probably try to haggle. It might not even earn us more than selling to the villagers.”
“Besides, we’ll be living in Xinghua Village long-term. This is a good chance to build a good relationship with the villagers. People always say ‘distant relatives are not as close as neighbors.’ At key moments, it helps. Look at Uncle Niu—he helped us, didn’t he?”
Gu Yan considered her words and thought they made sense. He didn’t blame her at all and quickly said:
“Alright, then we’ll do it your way. I’m not good at these social interactions. From now on, we’ll do as you say. I’ve also said before, the household finances are yours. You can handle them however you want. I have no objections; I’ll follow your lead.”
Lu Zhaozhao was even more pleased hearing this. This young man was quite promising.
At that moment, Uncle Niu, who was driving the cart, heard their conversation and cheerfully added:
“The girl’s right. Our villagers are mostly friendly, except for a very few. Building good relations with them doesn’t hurt. And if you sell at normal pork prices, they’ll understand it’s a favor, not taking advantage. In the future, everything in the village will be easier. Sometimes taking a small loss is actually a blessing.”
“Exactly, Uncle Niu is wise.”
Lu Zhaozhao agreed with Uncle Niu. The Gu family were newcomers; showing goodwill would make future dealings smoother. Besides, she had the spiritual spring space and spiritual field, and she had many plans that would require the villagers’ help. Selling them some meat now was a good investment.
Before long, the ox cart arrived at the Gu family home.
Two little ones were playing in the yard and quickly noticed the ox cart and Little Uncle and Little Aunt returning.
Seeing the blood on their clothes, they were startled and ran over, worriedly asking:
“Little Uncle, Little Aunt, why is there so much blood on you? Are you hurt?”
Their voices trembled with tears.
Seeing their misunderstanding, Lu Zhaozhao, who also looked about to cry, quickly got off the cart to reassure them:
“An An, Momo, don’t be afraid. We’re fine. That’s the boar’s blood. Little Uncle was amazing—he caught a wild boar! Look, it’s right there! Little Aunt will cook some wild boar meat for you later.”
“Yes, I’m fine. I’ll just change my clothes soon. Don’t be scared. An An, Momo, step aside a bit while Uncle Niu and I carry this boar inside.”
Gu Yan also jumped down, speaking gently to comfort the two children.
Only then did the children notice the large wild boar on the ox cart. Excitement replaced fear; their eyes sparkled.
“Wow, is this the big boar? Little Uncle is amazing!”
“Grandpa Niu is helping too. Thank you, Grandpa Niu!”
After the three carried the boar into the yard, Uncle Niu, knowing they were about to slaughter it, left without staying to disturb them.
“All done. I’ll leave now. You can take your time slaughtering it. I still have things to do! I’ll come tomorrow to buy a jin to try it—save some for me! Haha!”
“Uncle Niu, don’t joke. One jin of meat is nothing. Tomorrow I’ll send it to you. You helped us so much; this is just a small token of thanks.”
Lu Zhaozhao, naturally friendly, had joined in calling Uncle Niu after just meeting him a short while ago.
Uncle Niu laughed heartily:
“Alright, this girl is capable. I won’t refuse. From now on, if your family rides my ox cart, I won’t charge. We call it give-and-take. Deal?”
“Deal, Uncle Niu. Whatever you say.”
…
After Uncle Niu left, Gu Yan and Lu Zhaozhao were both covered in filth. Gu Yan said:
“Since our clothes are dirty anyway, let’s slaughter the boar before dark. You take the kids inside first; I don’t want to scare them.”
“Okay, be careful not to hurt your hands.”
Lu Zhaozhao, also dirty, agreed and decided to change into clean clothes before helping. She took the two children back inside to wait in Grandmother’s room.
The children were both a little scared and excited. They peeked secretly, then obediently went to Grandmother’s room to tell her what had happened.
Madam Li’s first reaction was worry for the children’s safety—wild boars were formidable creatures.
When An An and Momo reassured her that no one was hurt, she relaxed. Hearing the sounds outside, she knew her son was slaughtering the boar, and she told the children to sit down and not watch anymore.
The scene was rather bloody, and she didn’t want them to have nightmares.
After changing, Lu Zhaozhao went to her mother’s room to explain the plan to share the meat with the villagers. Madam Li fully approved of her decision.